scholarly journals The Aesthetics Of Causality: A Descriptive Account Into Ecological Performativity

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Marie Connors
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Computer Vision ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
Descriptive Account ◽  
Creative Research ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Life On Earth

In this paper, I offer a perspective into a creative research practice I have come to term as Ecological Performativity. This practice has evolved from a number of non-linear audiovisual installations that are intrinsically linked to geographical and everyday phenomena. The project is situated in ecological discourse that seeks to explore conditions and methods of co-creative processes derived from an intensive data-gathering procedure and immersion within the respective environments. Through research the techniques explored include computer vision, data sonification, live convolution and improvisation as a means to engage the agency of material and thus construct non-linear audiovisual installations. To contextualize this research, I have recently reoriented my practice within recent critical, theoretical, and philosophical discourses emerging in the humanities, sciences and social sciences generally referred to as ‘the nonhuman turn’. These trends currently provide a reassessment of the assumptions that have defined our understanding of the geo-conjunctures that make up life on earth and, as such, challenge the long-standing narrative of human exceptionalism. It is out of this reorientation that the practice of Ecological Performativity has evolved.

Religion in the Age of the Anthropocene

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianne F. Conty
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Risks And Benefits ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Contemporary Christian ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Forms Of Life

Though responses to the Anthropocene have largely come from the natural and social sciences, religious responses to the Anthropocene have also been gaining momentum and many scholars have been calling for a religious response to complement scientific responses to climate change. Yet because Genesis 1:28 does indeed tell human beings to ‘subdue the earth’ monotheistic religions have often been understood as complicit in the human exceptionalism that is thought to have created the conditions for the Anthropocene. In distinction to such Biblical traditions, indigenous animistic cultures have typically respected all forms of life as ‘persons’ and such traditions have thus become a source of inspiration for ecological movements. After discussing contemporary Christian efforts to integrate the natural sciences and the environment into their responses to the Anthropocene, this article will turn to animism and seek to evaluate the risks and benefits that could ensue from a postmodern form of animism that could provide a necessary postsecular response to the Anthropocene.

Governance of differential stakeholder interests in supply chains and networks

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.F.M. Wubben ◽  
H.J. Bremmers ◽  
P.T.M. Ingenbleek ◽  
A.E.J. Wals
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Stakeholder Dialogue ◽  
Stakeholder Interests ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
The Impact

Competing frames and interests regarding food provision and resource allocation, adding to the increased global interdependencies, necessitate agri-food companies and institutions to engage themselves in very diverse multi-stakeholder settings. To develop new forms of interaction, and governance, researchers with very different backgrounds in social sciences try to align, or at least share, research trajectories. This first paper in a special issue on governance of differential stakeholder interests discusses, first, different usages of stakeholder categories, second, the related intersubjectivity in sciences, third, an rough sketch of the use of stakeholder management in different social sciences. Social science researchers study a wide variety of topics, such as individual stakeholder impact on new business models, stakeholder group responses to health claims, firm characteristics explaining multi-stakeholder dialogue, and the impact of multi-stakeholder dialogue on promoting production systems, and on environmental innovations. Interestingly, researchers use very different methods for data gathering and data analysis.

Islamic Theological Views on Darwinian Evolution

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhal Guessoum
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Darwinian Evolution ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
The World ◽  
The Problem Of Evil ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Biological Entities ◽  
Muslim Scholars

The various positions that Muslim scholars have adopted vis-à-vis Darwin’s theory of evolution since its inception in 1859 are here reviewed with an eye on the theological arguments that are embraced, whether explicitly or implicitly. A large spectrum of views and arguments are thus found, ranging from total rejection to total acceptance, including “human exceptionalism” (evolution is applicable to all organisms and animals but not to humans). The two main theological arguments that are thus extracted from Muslim scholars’ discussions of evolution are: 1) Is God excluded by the evolutionary paradigm or does the term “Creator” acquire a new definition? 2) Does Adam still exist in the human evolution scenario, and how to include his Qur’anic story in the scientific scenario? Additional, but less crucial issues are sometimes raised in Islamic discussions of evolution: a) Does the extinction of innumerable species during the history of life on earth conflict with the traditional view of God’s creation? b) Is theodicy (“the problem of evil”) exacerbated or explained by evolution? c) Are “species” well-defined and important biological entities in the Islamic worldview? d) Can the randomness that seems inherent in the evolutionary process be reconciled with a divine creation plan? These questions are here reviewed through the writings and arguments of Muslim scholars, and general conclusions are drawn about why rejectionists find it impossible to address those issues in a manner that is consistent with their religious principles and methods, and why more progressive, less literalistic scholars are able to fold those issues within a less rigid conception of God and the world.

Self-esteem Influences Depressive Symptoms among Female Sex Workers

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
REMEDIOS T. NAVARRO
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Wellness Programs ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Correlational Design ◽  
Correlational Method

Diagnosis of depressive symptoms is critical in wellness programs. This study determined the extent to which Female Sex Workers (FSWs) registered inselected areas in Ilocos Sur, Philippines, experienced depressive symptoms andhow their socio-demographic, medical profile, and self-esteem relate with it. Itutilized the descriptive-correlational method of research, with a Personal DataSheet, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic StudiesDepression Scale (CES-D) as tools for data gathering. The  data were statisticallytreated with frequency, percentage, mean and simple correlational analysis.Findings reveal that the majority of the respondents are single; have no children;earn Php10,000/USD 232 and below per month;  are already working as FSWs for 1-5 years, 7 days a week and 7-9 hours daily; were employed locally beforeworking as FSWs, drink alcohol and undergo the required medical/laboratoryexaminations regularly. Further, most are 16-20 years old, from the NationalCapital Region, and finished high school education. Their level of self-esteem isaverage, and depressive symptoms, mild to moderate. The socio-demographic andmedical profile is not significantly related with the level of depressive symptoms.Self-esteem is inversely related to the level of depressive symptoms. The lower the level of self-esteem, the higher is the level of depressive symptoms and vice versa.Keywords: Social Sciences, depressive symptoms, descriptive-correlational design,Philippines

scholarly journals SOCIOBIOLOGY: BETWEEN OBJECTIVE RESEARCH AND POP-SCIENCE

2021 ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Наталья Валентиновна Зайцева
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Methodological Status ◽  
Objective Research

Статья посвящена осмыслению методологического статуса получивших в последнее время широкое распространение эволюционных социальных наук. В рассмотрении этого вопроса автор опирается на анализ основных трудов классика социобиологии Эдварда Уилсона. Особое внимание уделяется раскрытию противоречивой природы этой дисциплины - как исследовательской практики, использующей соответствующие научные методы, и как поп-науки. The article is devoted to understanding the methodological status of recently widespread evolutionary social sciences. In consideration of this issue, the author relies on the analysis of the main works of the classic of sociobiology Edward Wilson. Particular attention is paid to revealing the contradictory nature of this discipline - as a research practice using appropriate scientific methods, and as pop-science.

scholarly journals Scalable Polyhedral Verification of Recurrent Neural Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 225-248
Author(s):  
Wonryong Ryou ◽  
Jiayu Chen ◽  
Mislav Balunovic ◽  
Gagandeep Singh ◽  
Andrei Dan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Computer Vision ◽  
Recurrent Neural Networks ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Motion Sensor ◽  
Use Case ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Speech Classification ◽  
Sampling Optimization

AbstractWe present a scalable and precise verifier for recurrent neural networks, called Prover based on two novel ideas: (i) a method to compute a set of polyhedral abstractions for the non-convex and non-linear recurrent update functions by combining sampling, optimization, and Fermat’s theorem, and (ii) a gradient descent based algorithm for abstraction refinement guided by the certification problem that combines multiple abstractions for each neuron. Using Prover, we present the first study of certifying a non-trivial use case of recurrent neural networks, namely speech classification. To achieve this, we additionally develop custom abstractions for the non-linear speech preprocessing pipeline. Our evaluation shows that Prover successfully verifies several challenging recurrent models in computer vision, speech, and motion sensor data classification beyond the reach of prior work.

scholarly journals Sociology and Animal Studies: Human Responses to Animal Loss in Times of Disaster

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ching Velasco ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Social World ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Human Exceptionalism ◽  
The World ◽  
Species Boundary ◽  
Humanities And Social Sciences

A number of attempts have been made to include animals in explorations in the humanities and social sciences. This is a response to the gap where animals are much-neglected entities in the said disciplines. There have been debates pertaining to the inclusion of animals in scholarly discourses in the field of sociology. Notably, human exceptionalism has been one of the key ideological drivers which prevent a more inclusive consideration of animals in the study of our social world. The anthropocentric view of the world and society has put the needs and status of humans above all other animals. This line of thinking has implications on how humanity relates and interacts with animals in a broader context. In times of crisis, humans relegate animals as conveniently expendable or an inconvenient afterthought, which easily leads to instances of animal abandonment and even abuse. However, there has been a collective shift in the way acts of animal abandonment are perceived on social media. This article examined the responses on social media pertaining to animal abandonment during the onslaught of typhoon Vamco in the Philippines in 2020. More specifically, two themes were analyzed: outrage against negligence and compassionate treatment of animals. While this article looks specifically at the abandonment of animals, the project invites further reflection on the notions of environmental ethics and the species boundary.

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